Tenten's Cousin
by BlackElement7
Summary: When the Hokage announces that there's a dance for all of the shinobi in Konoha and Tenten decides to pretend that she does have a cousin, what will happen especially when Neji falls in love? [NejiTen, SasuSaku, NaruHina, ShikaTem]
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Note: When she's called Nadeshiko, that means that we know what Neji's thinking. Otherwise, it's from her point of view. Just thought that you'd like to know that.**

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"I have an important announcement. So listen up!" The Fifth Hokage's voice sounded throughout all of Konoha. Immediately, all of the heads of the resident ninja shot up – they'd been subject to the blond woman's temper before, and didn't want to risk setting it off. "I have decided," she continued, "to hold a ball. Or a gigantic party; call it whatever you please. All ninja are invited – no, ordered – to attend; don't make me send ANBU after you. It will be held outdoors next week from six to twelve. I hope to see you all there." Everybody caught the threatening tone in her last sentence.

A certain yellow-haired ninja was heard to remark, "That was her important announcement?" Then a loud and resounding _clunk_ rang out. Naruto's voice was not heard again that day.

Suddenly, a flurry of activity began as kunoichi prepared for the party. Only some of the less excitable women and almost all of the men stayed calm.

"T-Tenten-chan, a-are y-you g-going t-to the p-party?" Hinata stammered. The dark-haired kunoichi smiled mischievously and beckoned her blue-haired friend closer. When they were done whispering, a look of understanding was exchanged between them.

They strolled together to the practice grounds, grinning happily. The two girls found Neji already there. As they passed Hinata's cousin and Tenten's teammate, he paid no attention to them, only pausing when Hinata spoke.

"A-ano, Neji-niisan… Are y-you g-going t-to the p-party?" she inquired softly. He only grunted in response. Tenten rolled her eyes, sighing in exasperation.

"What an _elaborate_ answer, Neji. I'm sure you planned it because I certainly couldn't come up with such a well prepared reply. Don't hold back now; we won't get bored listening to you talk on and on…" she muttered.

Neji scowled, turning to face the bun-haired shinobi. "The Fifth will kill me if I don't," he growled, then returned to training. That was all they could get out of him. Shaking their heads, Tenten and Hinata left him.

As they walked casually down the busy streets of Konohagakure, a shock of pink hair mixed with a blur of yellow rushed towards them. A second later, Sakura and Ino were squeezing the air out of their lungs. Gasping, Tenten slipped out of Sakura's arms.

"So, so! What will you wear to the ball?" The pink-haired girl asked breathlessly after letting Hinata go. She and Ino took it for granted that everybody they asked was going. Hinata and Tenten exchanged glances. Tenten nodded.

"You'll see." When the two other girls pouted, she quickly added, "What about you?" Ino placed her hands on her hips, squealing excitedly.

"I'm going to wear a cute outfit I found a few minutes ago. It's purple, with silver embroidery on it – wait 'till you see it!"

"I don't know what I'm going to wear… Oh, yeah! I can wear one of my mom's dresses! I like one especially; it's green and it's really short, but my mom was taller than me when she wore dresses like that, so it should be okay," Sakura said, not wanting to be outdone by her rival.

Tenten turned to Hinata and cocked her hear curiously. "What will you wear, Hinata-chan?"

"I-I don't know, T-Tenten-chan," the shy girl replied, blushing. Tenten clapped her hands in delight, beaming.

"Then you _must_ let me help you pick!" she cried in excitement. "Since I already have what I need…" She giggled childishly, dragging the poor Hyuuga heiress off in a cloud of dust. Hinata managed to wave at Ino and Sakura before she was gone.

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**Short chapter, I know, but it'll get longer! I promise!!!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Second chapter!!!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

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The remainder of the week seemed to fly by, to the irritation of the lazier ninja, who enjoyed just staring at the sky for days. Before they knew it, Tenten and Hinata found themselves busy two days before the dance/party.

"Are you going to find a date?" Tenten asked Hinata mischievously, her eyes gleaming. Hinata played with her fingers nervously, turning red. Her mouth worked, but no sound came out when her lips moved. Tenten waited patiently.

"I-I w-was h-hoping that N-Naruto-kun m-might…" Hinata trailed off, blushing profusely. Tenten squealed.

"Let's go ask him!" She grabbed her friend's wrist and pulled her off to find the obnoxious, loudmouthed ninja boy. Due to his amazing ability to make noise, he was not hard to find at all. They found him training with his team. Hinata squeaked and leapt into the nearby bushes. Tenten rolled her eyes, sighing.

Hinata peeked out of the branches, bright red. "Y-you c-can g-go, T-Tenten-chan," she offered shakily. The weaponsmistress stood with her arms folded stubbornly over her stomach.

"I'm not going anywhere without you," she sniffed. The two girls waited. And waited. And waited. Unfortunately, Tenten had little patience. So she decided to yell at Hinata – or at least at the bush in which she was hiding. The Hyuuga girl didn't budge, but someone else heard Tenten's voice and came over. The kunoichi soon found herself surrounded by the members of Team 7.

"What are you doing, Tenten?" Sakura asked. Tenten only looked pointedly at Hinata's hiding space and muttered something. The pink-haired medic-nin cupped a hand around her ear. "Come again?"

"I said," Tenten repeated, "I'm not going anywhere until she does what she came to do." Sakura cocked her head.

"She? Who-" She was interrupted by a shriek. They all whirled around to see Naruto pulling a tomato-colored Hinata out of the bushes. Tenten smirked smugly.

"I told you it would be no good to hide," she laughed. "Now, Hinata had something to ask Naruto." Kakashi and Sakura grinned, and Sasuke rolled his eyes. Naruto looked quizzically at Hinata.

"Eh? You have something to ask me, Hinata-chan?" he inquired. "What is it?" He let go of her hand and stepped back. However, Hinata clamped her lips shut and refused to meet his eyes. When it became clear that she was not going to say anything, Naruto turned to Tenten, puzzled. "What was she going to say?"

Tenten huffed in exasperation. "Hinata would like to know… if you'd like to go to the dance with her. Hinata, how hard can it be? All you have to say is – "

Neji, walking by, just happened to hear Tenten's voice, and stopped to listen.

" – 'Naruto-kun, would you like to go to the dance with me? I'd be very happy if you did' and blah blah blah – all the other stuff. You know what I mean."

Neji's eyes widened in shock. He'd been hoping to ask Tenten to go with him, but if she wanted to go with Naruto, then…

"Hm, Naruto. I think that you should say yes. Look at how red she it," Kakashi's voice sounded amused. Then, somebody being whacked.

"Kakashi-sensei! Be nice! She's not blushing – that much," Sakura reprimanded sternly. Neji sighed quietly. If she really liked Naruto that much… After all, Tenten never blushed for anybody but him, and then very rarely. He got up and left, but not before hearing Naruto say, "Of course I'll go! Yay!"

Sakura and Tenten hugged Hinata, the former glaring at the white-haired Jounin and the poor blue-haired girl squished in between them. Team 7's leader raised his hands innocently, chuckling.

"Sorry, sorry. But she _is_ blushing," he replied, then hastily ducked as Sakura swung a fist at him.

Tenten smiled happily. "Well, now that that's out of the way, let's go, Hinata!" The Hyuuga girl agreed much too eagerly. "Ah, are you embarrassed, Hinata-chan?" the bun-haired kunoichi asked as they leapt through the trees. "I'm sorry."

Hinata shook her head. "N-no, it's -not your f-fault," she insisted. "I-I'm j-just shy a-around N-Naruto-kun." Tenten laughed gaily, hugging Hinata to her.

"Well, only a day to go now!"

When Tenten went to training the next morning with Hinata, they again found Neji there, but this time he did not even look at them when they spoke to him. When Hinata ordered him to say hello to Tenten, he did it sullenly, staring at the ground. Tenten glanced at him worriedly, then shrugged.

As she practiced with her targets, she chatted with Hinata about the party. "So, when are you going to meet your date?" she asked mischievously.

Hinata blushed at the word "date." "A-ano… W-we're going t-to m-meet

h-halfway there, on the b-bridge," she answered, stuttering.

Neji looked up sharply. "Who are you going with?" he asked quietly, with the first spark of interest he'd shown that day.

"Naruto!" Tenten piped up. Neji scowled at her, displeased. (A/N: As if he's a ruler or something! I like that word. Displeased. Dissss… pleased… Hm…)

"I didn't ask who you were going with; I asked Hinata-sama." His teammate startled him by bursting out in laughter. His shock increased when his cousin joined her. Both girls collapsed to the ground. (A/N: Again. I'm sorry if Neji seems a bit dense. I just couldn't resist… Tee hee!)

"You think – " fit of laughter " – that I'm going with – " more laughter " – Naruto?" Tenten finally regained control of herself and stood shakily. "Oh, my god, Neji; you make me laugh! Of course I'm not going with Naruto. Hinata-chan is! Oh…" Then she was off again, laughing so hard that she cried.

Neji stared, puzzled. "Then who are you going with?" he asked Tenten. She and Hinata immediately sobered, smiling matching smiles, full of mischief.

"Nobody," Tenten answered truthfully. "I couldn't think of anyone to go with." (A/N: Meaning they're all buttheads. Ha ha! Buttheads!!! …sorry.)

"Hn." They turned back to training. Deep in thoughts of their own, the threesome lost track of time and ended up training (and thinking) the whole day away. By the time they noticed, it was dark.

"M-maybe w-we should g-go b-back n-now," Hinata suggested finally. Tenten nodded wearily. Neji began walking off distractedly, before his cousin reached out and turned him around. "N-Neji-niisan, the h-house is th-that w-way," she told him.

Tenten laughed softly, too tired to be loud. "See ya tomorrow, then? At my house!" Hinata nodded and waved, leading Neji off.

Both girls fell asleep that night with excited smiles on their faces.

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**This is back up! Yay!!! I think. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hullo!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or else Tenten would've gotten a heck of a lot better fight.**

- - -

The weaponsmistress was awakened the next morning by somebody knocking on her door. She raised a fist to crush her alarm block, but noticed that the sound came from her door. Yawning, the brown-haired kunoichi pulled on pants and a shirt, walking to open the door. Instead of Hinata, Tenten found Neji standing there.

"Hinata-sama asked me to tell you she'll be about an hour late. She sends her humblest apologies," he said tonelessly. Tenten scowled, slamming her fist into the concrete outside her door. As she rubbed her now-aching fist, he smirked, looking more like himself.

"Darn it! And here I was hoping to start early! …Oh, well. Thanks, Neji." Just before she shut the door, she peeked out, grinning sheepishly. "Oh, yeah. Sorry 'bout my manners. You want to come in?"

Neji shook his head, brown locks waving. "No, but thank you. Hanabi-sama needs me to spar with her," he muttered. Tenten laughed.

"Well, don't keep her waiting!" With that, she pushed him down the steps and closed the door. After dressing casually, she fixed herself some tea and had a cookie for breakfast. Leaping onto the couch, she settled herself comfortably and opened a thick book on fifty different ways to kill someone with a wire.

The time passed quickly, and soon Hinata knocked on the door. Tenten beckoned her in and they sat down at the table. Both their faces shone with excitement, and Tenten's fingers trembled as she pulled out a box from under the table and pointed to it, muttering something quietly. Hinata nodded and carefully made a note on the pad of paper she was holding. Then the girls got to work.

That evening, two girls set out to meet Hinata's date on the bridge. They found Neji there as well. His eyes widened slightly, and Naruto smiled. Hinata blushed, clutching at her companion's hand desperately.

"Who's your friend, Hinata-chan?" the blond boy asked energetically. Neji stared at the girl next to his cousin. Her dark hair was plaited into a long braid, which hung at her back. Her outfit was completely black, embroidered simply with silver around the sleeves, which came down to her wrists, and on the collar, which came halfway up her throat. The hem of the bottom touched the ground; it was not a true skirt, splitting into two sections for her legs. It was actually a pair of loose pants that looked like a skirt when she stood still. Black leather was buckled onto her arms from her wrists to just below her elbows, covered with bandages – white bandages; the coverings on her arms were only revealed as she unwrapped the cloth hiding them. When she moved, her feet showed, and they could see that she wore black sandals. Her pale face vaguely reminded Neji of Tenten, with eyes of the same chocolate color. She even wore the Chinese-style top Tenten was so fond of. However, Neji's teammate was almost always cheerful, and this girl was emotionless, her face a cold, expressionless mask. And it was pale; so deathly pale…

Hinata smiled and played with her fingers. "Th-this is N-Nadeshiko-chan. Sh-she is st-standing in f-for T-Tenten-chan, wh-who c-couldn't m-make it. She's T-Tenten-chan's c-cousin." Nadeshiko nodded at the ninja and gestured with her chin towards the party. Her eyes narrowed and she ran her fingers across the lotus-shaped buttons on her shirt.

"I'll give you some… alone time," she said quietly, her voice barely a whisper above the wind. In a mist of cold water, she was gone. Hinata smiled happily, blushing.

"N-Nadeshiko-chan is at the p-party," she observed cheerfully. "L-let's g-go!" She set off, tugging gently on Naruto's hand, which had somehow found its way into hers. He willingly followed, leaving Neji all alone on the bridge.

Tenten was dying. (A/N: No, not that way, silly. She's the main character! And I don't feel particularly like being angsty right now.) It was almost impossible for her not to smile around Hinata and Naruto, so she'd worked hard to keep her face blank. If she'd been forced to speak louder than she had, she would have ruined it all, because they would all have heard the hysterical laughter in her voice.

Fingering the bracer on her left arm, she smiled wistfully. She'd always wanted a pair of them, but they were just another thing to keep track of. She didn't use birds, and she wasn't an archer, so they were of no use to her. One of Hinata's relatives had been kind enough to lend a pair to her.

And she'd managed to pull the mist trick off. She sighed in relief – they'd practiced it hundreds of times, but she still could not achieve that 100 accuracy that she had with her weapons. Once in a while, she wouldn't be able to move fast enough, and she would get wet, sprayed by her own jutsu. The jutsu that set off the mist was a specialty she had learned a long time ago, laying forgotten in the back of her mind. She's planned to meet Hinata at the gates, so she began walking.

They'd worked it all out days ago. It had started as a debate over whether the others would recognize her or not with her hair down. Now they would test it. Tenten would show up with Hinata, but if nobody recognized her, she would become "Nadeshiko." It had been such a long time since she'd been a part of such a practical joke – it would be fun to "meet" all of the people she already knew again. Hearing Naruto's voice, she rearranged her face and strode out to find them.

Neji had been silently following Hinata and Naruto, thinking about Nadeshiko's disappearing technique – it was a jutsu unique to the people of the Village of Mist, but she was wearing Tenten's forehead protector tied tightly around her upper arm. He rounded a bench – and walked into Nadeshiko. Just before they fell onto each other, she leapt back, landing a foot behind where she'd been. The pearly-eyed ninja caught himself before he touched the ground.

He stared at Nadeshiko, who bowed in apology. This girl had Tenten's quick reflexes.

"Hinata, introduce me to everyone," Tenten whispered into her friend's ear. She immediately straightened up as the rest of Hinata's team appeared before them.

"Ah! Sh-Shino-kun, K-Kiba-kun, th-this is N-Nadeshiko-chan. Sh-she's

T-Tenten-chan's c-cousin," the blue-haired kunoichi stammered. Shino stuck out his hand and Tenten shook it. When she held her hand out to Kiba, however, he swept a dramatic bow and kissed.

"It is an honor to meet such a lovely young lady," he murmured. Hinata's eyes flew open, and she giggled. Tenten allowed a smile to cross her lips, dying inside. She felt ridiculous, and poor Kiba didn't know what a fool he was making of himself. She bent over and scratched Akamaru's head so that nobody would see the hysterical grin pasted onto her face – except Akamaru, perhaps.

As soon as she got control of herself, she stood up, brushing her elegant braid over her shoulder. She thought sad thoughts and finally spoke.

"Come, let's go," she suggested in a flat voice. There was no hint of laughter in it at all. Hinata grinned, seemingly undisturbed by her friend's cold tone.

"Y-yes, l-lets! C-come on, N-Naruto-kun!" As they ran off, they completely missed Neji's scowl. Tenten decided to give the two some more time alone and kept her pace steady but relaxed. She was in no hurry.

A flurry of movement caught her eye. Glancing sideways at Neji, she saw that he had his Byakugan activated, dispelling any illusionary jutsus. Exhaling in relief, she blessed Hinata, who, with her foresight, had insisted against just using an illusion. In-wardly grinning, Tenten shook her head just the tiniest bit. He was just as suspicious as usual.

"Where did you learn that jutsu?" Neji's voice broke through her thoughts. He had relaxed just a little, but now apparently trusted her enough to deactivate his Byakugan.

"A long time ago," she answered truthfully. They were approaching the dancing floor, where hundreds of lights had been set up. Before they could go in, though, they were stopped by an ANBU member in a dog mask.

"Before you can enter, you must prove you can dance," he told them wearily. "Hokage-sama is crazy." He sighed. "If you can scare me, then you can pass. But nobody's done it so far."

Neji smirked and activated his Byakugan, moving the face the man. Behind him, Tenten sighed and placed a hand in each sleeve. That trick was getting old; there was no way that just glaring at the shinobi would scare him enough to get him to admit it. When she drew them out again, there was a long, slender needle in each of the spaces between her fingers. She flicked her wrist and a dark shape glinted as it flew past Neji's ear to land in the ANBU's mask. It pierced right through but missed his face ad kept going.

He looked at Neji without flinching, but when his gaze flickered over to Tenten, he shuddered ever so slightly. She had made sure to stand right in the blind spot of the Byakugan, so she could openly show her emotions without the fear of Neji seeing. She smirked and inclined her head towards the dance. The ANBU sighed shamefacedly and gestured his hand.

"I give up. Go on ahead," he muttered. Without a word, the needles disappeared, and Tenten slid through the gates. Neji followed.

When he caught up to her, he stared at her shadow. _He wasn't looking at me – it was her. I wonder what she did_, he though to himself. All of a sudden, he looked up at the sound of a sword being drawn. Nadeshiko was striding calmly before him. He relaxed, dropping his haze back to the ground.

Then he froze as cold metal touched his neck. Neji's head snapped up and he stared at Tenten's cousin, who now walked by his side. It was her katana on his neck. She did not look at him as she spoke.

"You'll get your head chopped off if you don't look ahead!" she admonished. He though that maybe – just maybe – he'd heard a hint of amusement. He waited for her to remove her weapon, but she took no notice.

"Could you… move your sword?" he asked hesitantly.

"Make me." The reply was flat and toneless.

"Excuse me?"

"Make me." Nadeshiko pulled another katana out of her sleeves and threw it to him. Deftly catching it and getting into guard position, Neji shifted and frowned.

"I don't know; I'm pretty good – I wouldn't want to hurt you – " He was cut off as Nadeshiko rolled her eyes in annoyance, snorting in amusement.

"Just do it. Think of it as a test," she commanded impatiently, pressing down a little bit on the blade. Neji hissed as a trickle of blood rand down his neck. "Ah; sorry," Nadeshiko said quietly. When he tried to use his Jyuuken, she only laughed and leapt clear of him – keeping her katana on his neck.

The Hyuuga decided to end it quickly. He twisted his arm as Tenten had showed him, trying to nick his opponent's hand to startle her into releasing her weapon. He was surprised when she flicked her wrist and deflected his attack with the other side of her katana – the side not on his neck.

_Guess the weapon expertise runs in the family_, he thought as he tried yet again to remove her katana. This time, though, she only stuck out her arm and waited for him to slice through it. His lavender-tinted eyes opened wide, but his sword was too far through the stroke for him to stop it.

The keen edge of the blade cut off the end of a log. Nadeshiko had used the Substitution Technique and replaced her arm with a tree limb. Now she shook her head, sighing.

"No control at all. Tenten-san has not been teaching you correctly," she observed sternly. "I'll have her increase your training, then."

When Neji protested, she drew her sword through the air in a wide yet controlled arc, sending the tip straight towards his head. He could not bring his katana up in time to block it – but there was no need to; she stopped her weapon a scant inch from his skin surface, holding it steady with unwavering hands.

"If you can't block that, you definitely can't perform it, which means that your training is obviously not what it should be. A student like you of five weeks should be at least familiar with one hundred different strokes," she lectured. Neji wondered how she knew he had been learning from Tenten for five weeks. "Keep practicing!"

Tenten couldn't help it. Here was her perfect chance to scold Neji about his hand-to-hand combat; how could she not seize it? His expression was priceless when she did so. But she really would need to improve his knowledge of strokes.

"Te – N-Nadeshiko-chan! C-come d-dance w-with us!" Hinata called, interrupting Tenten's thoughts. She hadn't noticed that they'd reached the dance floor. A pink-haired kunoichi ran up to them, with Ino behind.

"Hinata-chan! Introduce us!" she squealed in excitement. Beckoning, Tenten pulled them into a corner.

"Don't you recognize me?" she asked mischievously. "Jeez, it's only my hair that's different." With that hint, Sakura figured it out.

"Tenten!" Ino's eyes flew open in disbelief.

"What! Oh, it's you! I like your outfit," she said, looking approvingly over all the silky black. The blond teenager was dressed in a dark fuchsia dress that went from thing straps crisscrossed across her shoulders to just above her knees. Sakura wore a light green strapless dress that went from low around her shoulders to five or six inches below her hips. It matched the shade of her pastel-green eyes perfectly.

"But it's a bit… modest, don't you think?" Sakura asked, blinking at Tenten's dress. The weaponsmistress rolled her eyes.

"You're the ones with inappropriate dresses, Sakura. Just the slightest wind leaves nothing to the imagination," she remarked.

"I-I th-think th-that it's p-perfect," Hinata put in hesitantly. "M-my d-dress, on the other h-hand…" Her dress was sleeveless, with a high collar and long skirt. It was pale blue, embroidered with red. Sequins glittered down the length of the slippery material.

"Your dress is lovely, Hinata," Ino assured her. "Did you pick it out?"

Hinata shook her head. "N-no, T-Tenten-chan p-picked it out f-for m-me," she replied. Sakura grinned and complimented the weaponsmistress's choice of style.

"Oi; you girls done yet?" Kakashi called out. Finally the four kunoichi smiled and rejoined the group. Two boys found them shortly after.

"Nadeshiko-chan, meet my teammates," Ino giggled. "This is Shikamaru –" she pointed at the lazy young man with is hands stuck in his pocket " – and this is Choji." This was the round boy who was holding a bag of potato chips. Tenten stifled a smile. The gluttonous "butterfly" never stopped eating.

"Hello," she said, bowing respectfully. "Can either of you dance?" Shikamaru shrugged casually, looking bored.

"It's too troublesome. I"ll just watch," he drawled quietly. Tenten sniggered behind her emotionless façade.

"Then why'd you come? It's a dance, you know," she asked. Her answer came when a blond woman with four spiky pigtails and a huge fan walked up to them and slung an arm around the lazy genius's neck. She grinned widely.

"Hello, everybody! Oh, it's – " Hinata hurriedly cut her off, stepping forward hastily.

"Ah! T-Temari-san, th-this is N-Nadeshiko-chan; she's T-Tenten-chan's c-cousin. N-Nadeshiko-chan, th-this is S-Sabaku no T-Temari-san." She coughed, looking pointedly at the older woman, who sighed and went along with her.

"Nice to meet you, Nadeshiko-san." Tenten bowed slightly, but as she rose, she caught Temari's eye and winked.

"So, were you the one who asked Shikamaru-san to come?" she asked. Out of the corner of her mouth, she muttered, "It must've been a heck of a job to get his lazy butt out here."

The fan-wielding kunoichi grinned and muttered back, "Nah, I just threatened to strap weights onto him. He'd be too lazy to take them off, and they'd be too troublesome to walk around in. What would he do?" She shrugged almost unnoticeably.

Tenten chuckled lightly. Slipping her hand into Hinata's, she squeezed her friend's fingers.

"You're red, Hinata-chan," she muttered. Hinata smiled sheepishly and concentrated, making her face pale a little. Tenten nodded. "Better."

"Well, then! Let's go!" Temari exclaimed, grinning sunnily at everybody. Her grip around Shikamaru's neck tightened threateningly when he opened his mouth. He quickly shut it again.

Tenten followed the rest of the female ninja to a bench, where they all sat down to talk. But before they could really say anything, Naruto appeared in front of the blue-haired Hyuuga. He bowed and offered his arm.

"Would you like to dance with me, Hinata?" he asked happily. Blushing furiously, Hinata took his hand and they strolled off towards the dance floor.

Tenten laughed gaily. "Poor Hinata! Well, this is a slow dance – there's lots of time for mushy glances and hugging," she chirped. Sakura gazed dreamily at the snack bar.

"I wish somebody would as _me_ to dance," she murmured. Tenten snorted. She was certain that it would happen. As if on cue, Sasuke appeared behind the marble bench, silently extending a hand to the startled pink-haired girl. Ino huffed but did nothing.

"Wish I'd said that earlier," she joked. "Not that I care. I've decided that Forehead Girl can have Sasuke-kun. I guess I'll die an old maid." Temari laughed dryly.

"Well, I'll be right next to you. My date may have shown up. But his butt is gonna be glued to the seat," she commented. "What about you, Nadeshiko?"

"As if." Tenten smirked, but nearly fell over when a male voice reached her ears. Luckily, she managed to stay upright and maintained a straight face.

"Would you like to dance with me, Nadeshiko-san?" Kiba stood before her with his hand outstretched. Akamaru stood politely beside his master.

Tenten wet her lips nervously. "Um, I'm sorry… I just came to take Tenten's place. I really don't like dancing," she explained. This was a lie. She just didn't like the way he looked at her, his eyes lingering _just_ a little too long on certain parts of her body. She shuddered to think where his eyes might be if she'd been wearing one of Ino's or Sakura's types of dresses.

Pouting, Kiba left, only to cheer up when another kunoichi Tenten didn't know asked him to dance. Temari smirked.

"Why didn't you dance with him, _Nadeshiko_? He's nice enough. And remember, tonight you're Nadeshiko, Tenten's cousin. Tomorrow morning, you won't exist, and will never come back. So don't worry about what they think of you. After tonight, you'll be gone. Have some fun. Ruin your reputation!" She waved a hand vaguely.

"I supposed you're right," Tenten said slowly, smoothing her shirt down cautiously.

The sand shinobi grinned mischievously. "I dare you to dance with someone. Anyone. But you have to show them to us, and they must _agree_ to dance – for a whole song," she purred, eyes glinting. Ino smiled evilly.

"Come on, Tenten! You're always so serious; now's the time to cut loose!" she put in. Tenten laughed.

"Serious? It's the most you can do if you're forced to train with Hyuuga Neji all day. Either that or go crazy like Lee and Gai-sensei." She pointed at her other teammates, who were dancing wit each other to their own beat. Glancing at the two kunoichi on the bench, who were sporting matching smiles of pure evil, she asked, "Do I have to?" They nodded; she sighed – she hadn't expected any mercy. But just to be sure…

The weaponsmistress marched straight over to Neji and grabbed his arm, dragging him over to Temari and Ino. She placed her hands on her hips and spoke.

"Will you dance with me?" When he raised an eyebrow, she slapped her forehead and elaborated. "Theses guys want me to dance with somebody, so…" She shrugged.

"And why me?" Neji didn't blush, but Tenten knew enough about the Hyuuga to see that he was embarrassed.

"Hn?" Ooh, this was a toughie. It would be obvious why Tenten would pick Neji (he _was_ her teammate, after all), but why would Nadeshiko ask him, of all people? "Because you're my cousin's teammate. There's nobody else I know enough about." Again she shrugged, but this time pink tinged her cheeks. "Besides, I'm sure Tenten would want me to dance with you for her," she added, sticking her tongue out, giggling. Neji stared at her. Bewildered, she cocked her head. "What?"

"You… giggled," Neji stammered weakly. Temari snorted in the background, and Tenten could hear Ino laughing and gasping for breath.

"So?" the desert kunoichi asked in amusement. "She's not an unfeeling ice cube like you." Glancing at Tenten, she added, "Fine. Now go dance, children!"

Ignoring Neji's growl, the weapon-loving ninja dragged him out onto the area that had been cleared and lit up just for the dance.

"C'mon, Neji. You've got to admit that you usually don't express your feelings that openly," she said, laughing softly. Her partner's footsteps faltered for a moment.

"_Neji_?" he murmured almost inaudibly. Tenten blushed, cursing herself for her blunder. Of course Nadeshiko wouldn't call him something so familiar! What was she thinking?

"I'm sorry. It's just that Tenten calls you that all the time, so… it just… rubbed off on me. I'm sorry," she trailed off miserably. Stupid, _stupid_ girl! Busy staring at the ground, she failed to notice the smirk that had crept across Neji's face; and so she was totally unprepared when he shifted his arms from around her hip and shoulder to encircle her slim waist, pulling her closer to his chest. In short, Hyuuga Neji hugged a female completely unrelated to him. Tenten's face flamed.

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**Hiya!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Poor Tenten… What will happen next? (I know this is very overused, but bear with me!) **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hullo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My friend wanted to see this back up, so she very graciously agreed to type it up for me – and she even had to decipher my handwriting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let's all give her a big round of applause!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

- - -

"N-Neji-san, are you feeling all right?" Tenten asked worriedly, searching his face for signs of something wrong. He smiled gently, shaking his head.

"Nope." Frowning, Tenten carefully studied his face one more time. Then she realized- Neji had a crush on "Nadeshiko." But of course it would be her. Who wouldn't fall for the elegant, graceful, _perfect_ kinoichi? All the same, she had to make sure. It was time to say goodbye to Nadeshiko.

Standing on tiptoe, the dark-haired kinoichi reached up to Neji's face and gingerly pecked him on the cheek.

"Goodbye, Neji-san." With that, she leapt off to the cover of the trees. Temari and Ino blocked Neji's way, and Tenten silently thanked them. Once suitably hidden, she reached up and undid the braid, replacing it with her traditional buns. That done, she took out a black handkerchief and wiped off the thick layer of make-up. _Good riddance to it,_ she thought distastefully.

Touching her clothes lightly, the weaponsmistress made sure that she had her hidden weapons and, in case of an emergency, her summoning scroll. When she was satisfied that it was all there, she took as deep breath, and went to find the other girls.

On her way, she passed Hinata, who looked up, startled. If Tenten had appeared as Tenten, something must be wrong. Hurrying over to her friend, the blue-haired shinobi asked, "T-Tenten-chan? Wh-why are y-you h-here?"

She only got a faint smile and a vague, "Oh, I was feeling better, so I decided to come. Nadeshiko left."

"G-Good," Neji's cousin replied under her breath. "I-I w-was b-beginning t-to g-get t-tired of the ch-charade." She took Naruto's hand and the trio went off to find the others.

"Hello, Tenten," Temari said, raising an eyebrow. "Where's Nadeshiko?" The brown-eyed girl shrugged.

"She got tired, so she went home. We won't be seeing her again for a long time," she remarked casually, her eyes observing Neji's reaction. He stood before her, his arms crossed over his chest. "Oh, hello, Neji-kun!" He ignored this, speaking flatly,

"Why didn't you stop her? There was no time to say goodbye." There was a pang in Tenten's heart. So he _did_ like "Nadeshiko."

"Why are you complaining; aren't you the one she kissed goodbye?" she retorted sharply. He colored but said nothing. Tenten bit back a sob, turning and walking off stiffly.

Two hours later, she returned to check on Neji. She found him on the bridge where they'd first "met."

"Do you want to dance, Neji-kun?" she asked quietly.

"No" He continued to gaze wistfully at the stream.

"Something to eat?"

"No."

"What's wrong with you?" Tenten exclaimed in exasperation. "It's not like you to moon about, staring into the water."

Sakura, who was passing by with Sasuke, glared at Neji and looked sympathetically at Tenten. "He's in love," she said knowingly. Then they were gone.

"Are you in love with Nadeshiko?" the weaponsmistress asked quietly, though she already knew the answer. Neji said nothing, so she took it as an affirmative. She sighed. "Look, if you want to see her one last time, go to the waterfall in five minutes. She'll be there." Then she disappeared into the growing darkness.

Scowling, Tenten slipped past the curtain of water, into the secret cavern behind it. It was hers and hers alone. Nobody else knew about it – it was where she could be alone. Braiding her hair behind her back, she slipped off her shoes. Freed of sandals, her feet could more easily grip the slippery surface of the rock. She couldn't have perfect Nadeshiko slip and fall, now could she?

Once done, she applied white powder all over her face. Nobody was naturally that pale- except maybe Orochimaru…

Then she set out to meet Neji, carefully arranging her face into a stony mask. He was standing on a rock at the edge of the pool, his long, dark locks blowing in the breeze. Altogether, he made an impressive sight.

Stepping towards his with a tiny smile, Tenten couldn't have known that she glittered from the spray. But Neji certainly noticed. The normally bun-haired girl's smile tightened and seemed to be pasted on (which it was) as the Hyuuga walked towards her, entranced.

"You wanted to see me, Neji-san?" Her voice came out as a whisper, just barely heard over the soothing sounds of the waterfall in the background. He nodded, unable to do anything besides stare.

Tenten began to feel nervous about the way her teammate was staring at her. She found herself playing with her fingers behind her back like Hinata.

"Neji-san…? Are you feeling all right?" That snapped him out of his trance. He blinked his pearl-colored eyes and shook his head, stepping forward.

"After you left…I found that… I had to say goodbye," he murmured softly; he was now directly in front of her. His strong hands gripped her arms, bringing her closer and closer to him.

Tenten stared into his eerie eyes, feeling herself sinking deeper and deeper into tem, until he uttered one word, meant to comfort her, but which only managed to break her heart.

"Nadeshiko…" In that instant, the black-clad kunoichi remembered that, for the moment, she was Nadeshiko. Neji liked Nadeshiko. Well, he couldn't have her. Tearing her eyes away from his face, she looked away, turning.

"Nadeshiko is gone." With that, she disappeared in a puff of mist, taken directly from the rushing waters behind her, leaving a confused Neji alone. He sat, hoping she would come back.

Back in the safety of the cave behind the falls, Tenten did up her hair again and cleaned her face, scowling. She could faintly make out Neji's shape through the water, waiting. Waiting for Nadeshiko. He was waiting for a woman who would never again be seen. Tenten would make sure of it. She placed the white makeup on a shelf of rock.

Carefully taking off her vambraces (she didn't want to ruin them), she laid them gently on the floor, closed her eyes, and walked out. Once under the heavy sheet of water, Tenten opened her eyes. She saw Neji start, but paid no attention. She allowed her feelings to overcome her, and cried. The water already streaming down her face would hide her tears. The roaring of the water drowned out her sounds. Here, in the waterfall, she was safe.

Neji respectfully waited until she finished and stepped out. Then he spoke. "Where did Nadeshiko go?" Tenten gritted her teeth. He had dropped the honorific, even though she certainly had not asked him to. Well, she would take that away from him.

"Who?" she asked innocently. "There's been no one here but me and you all night." This was the truth; she smiled.

Neji growled. "Tenten, there's no time for jokes. Where's your cousin?" he demanded. Tenten's face darkened, and all traces of a smile were gone. When she spoke, it was in a curt and stony voice.

"What cousin? I have no relatives," she spat, then returned to her refuge, sorrow renewed. Pulling a kunai out of the pouch on her thigh, the kunoichi ran a finger down the length of it. Emotionlessly, she watched as blood welled up and flicked a shining drop into the crystal water. The single drop dissolved and mingled in the clear liquid. _That drop of blood is me,_ Tenten thought sadly. _All alone, surrounded by strangers. Even if I join them, there's only one of me, and so many of them. I disappear._ She stayed there for an hour, ignoring Neji.

Gathering her things, a soaking wet Tenten finally shivered and stepped through the waterfall. Neji had waited for her, she noticed with surprise. Without a word to him, she headed back to the party. He followed silently. When she glanced back out of the corner of her eye, he was gone.

Hinata was the first to find her. "Where's Nadeshiko?" The glimmer in her eyes died when Tenten shot a cold glance at her. Being a close friend, Hinata immediately saw the pain hidden deep within layers of indifference.

"Who is Nadeshiko?" The words were spoken quietly, but rang out with a clear order. Forget "Nadeshiko." Hinata blinked once and nodded. The weaponmistress hugged her friend gratefully.

"I'll go f-find the others," the blue-haired shinobi whispered. "Y-you sh-should ch-change." After returning the embrace, she was off. Tenten trudged back into her hidden cave behind the waterfall and pulled off her clothes, replacing them with her normal pink Chinese shirt and loose, baggy black pants. She kept the vambraces oh, too fond of them to take them off. Besides, they were dry.

When she went back to the dance, all of the kunoichi had assembled to wait for her. Temari patted Tenten's back gently, showing that she understood. Taking a deep breath, the bun-haired girl forced a small smile onto her face.

"Let's go back to the dance. I want to see Temari dance with Shikamaru-san," she said, her eyes shining in anticipation.

Temari smirked, shaking her head. "It's no good. He'll just say that it's too troublesome."

Tenten only smiled. "Will he?" Marching up to where the lazy genius sat, she stared at him. "You. Go dance with Temari. Or else I'll cut your hair tie. And it's too troublesome to go get another one, but if you leave it down, nobody will leave you alone 'cause you'll look like a _girl_."

Frowning, the spiky-haired young man stood up slowly. "Troublesome woman," he muttered. Tenten's lips curved into a smug smile. She grabbed Shikamaru's shoulders and pushed him over to where Temari was.

"Now then; dance!" she giggled as the rest of the girls gaped at her. "It's payback for what you did to me earlier."

"But how did you get him to move his lazy butt?" Temari demanded. "If you put any more weights on him, he'll just say that it's too troublesome to move." Ino nodded in agreement.

"Trust me; I've tried," the blond said, rolling her eyes. "So how did you do it?" Tenten snorted, her eyes dancing.

"I just threatened to cut his hair tie. He's too lazy to go get another one, but if he leaves it down, he'll be bugged all night long because everyone will want to know why his hair's down," she replied in a teasing tone.

Shikamaru only grunted as all five girls burst out laughing. "I'm not going to wait forever," he called to Temari. "Are you coming?" The fan-wielding kunoichi blushed, shot a mock glare at Tenten, and followed him.

"Slow dance," Sakura sighed audible relief. "The only kind of dance Shikamaru will be coaxed into doing. Poor Temari." Almost none of the people they knew were dancing, and the couple got more than a few strange looks, but Temari didn't seem to care. Shikamaru looked not bored, but…relaxed. Yes, that was the word. He was even more laid back than he usually was, and his face slowly released his lips from the scowl, working them into a gentle, peaceful smile.

"Aww…" the four girls sighed blissfully. They tiptoed away quietly, giving the dancing shinobi some time alone. Once out of sight and hearing, they slapped a high five.

"Good work, girls!" Ino crowed.

"We did it!" Sakura added. She nearly fell over in shock as a male voice asked, "You did what, Sakura?" Sasuke stepped out of the bushes nearby and stood before the pink-haired girl, who had righted herself and now began scolding him.

"Don't scare me like that, Sasuke-kun! You're going to give me a heart attack!" Sensing a romantic comeback, Tenten, Ino, and Hinata winked and silently slipped away leaving the two to bicker. When, all of a sudden, Sakura's voice stopped abruptly, Hinata grinned knowingly. Tenten nodded happily.

"He sure is taking things quickly," she observed softly. "Bet you that tomorrow, they're together." Nobody took the bet – they all knew better.

Kiba and Akamaru decided to make and enterance. "Hello, everybody!" the boy shouted. The girls sweat dropped, petting Akamaru. Kiba turned to Tenten, smiling.

"You have a very pretty cousin!" he exclaimed. His smile dropped as Tenten raised an eyebrow in puzzlement.

"What cousin?" she asked. "I've been here all night looking for these guys-" she gestured to Ino and Hinata "- and I haven't seen anybody who looks remotely like me. Even if there was, I don't have a family, so she couldn't have been related." With that, the girls were off.

"I'm s-sorry about K-Kiba-kun, T-Tenten-chan," Hinata apologized as they leapt through the trees. "H-he d-didn't m-mean t-to-"

Tenten cut her off with a careless wave of her hand. "I don't care. At least he'll spread the word that Nadeshiko never existed," she said tonelessly. "And she never did." They all fell silent.

- - -

**Y'know, if I didn't know that this was a fanfic, and if I hadn't written it and didn't know what happens next, I would not like Neji at all. Review, please?!?!?!?! puppy eyes**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hullo again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

- - -

At last the group of shinobi met again. Shikamaru had an arm around Temari; Sakura was read, and Sasuke held her hand possessively; and the instant Naruto saw Hinata, he leapt forward and hugged her. She, being Hinata, went completely red and fainted in his arms. Altogether, it was very romantic. Tenten smiled contentedly. After saying goodnight, they disbanded.

"Hello, Tenten! When did you get here?" Lee and Gai-sensei stood next to her, both flashing their teeth. Tenten smiled and turned away, lest she go blind from the intensity of this combined attack – er, smile.

"I've been here all night," she answered quietly. At her tone, both green-clad men sobered and went away after bidding their "precious flower of youth" a good night. Tenten made ready to leave, but something stayed her feet.

Tears. She felt the beginning of tears in her eyes. She would bother the neighbors if she cried at home, so she took refuge in the cave behind the waterfall. The weapons-mistress didn't notice someone following her there.

As she stepped through the glassy sheet of water, the roar of the falls blocked out any other sounds and distractions. Here, she was still the only one, but no longer alone. The water caressed her face and whispered to her. Yet it was still water. It did not – could not – love her or have any feelings for her. It only seemed to.

Curling up on the floor, she was about to explode when a shape moving outside caught her eye. Cautiously, she sat up with a kunai in hand. Stepping into the moonlight, she hissed. It was Neji.

"What do you want?" she snarled. "Nobody ever comes here at night." _Except me._

Neji only looked at her with his eerie eyes. At the look in his white orbs, Tenten recoiled. This was not like Neji at all. He _never_ showed his emotions, yet there it all was. Her lip curled.

"So you're in love," she sneered. "And this is where you last saw her. You'll wait out here until she comes back, profess your undying love for her, and live happily ever after." With a cackle, she turned to go, but looked back at him. "Fairy tales don't come true, Neji. Trust me."

His next words, cruel and unmerciful, nearly broke her heart. "What would you know of love?"

She whirled round and glared coldly at him. A kunai buried itself in the ground. Then she disappeared.

Tenten stood in a clearing, surrounded by trees. Flexing her fingers angrily, she did a few practice signs, then performed the justu that would release the spray of mist. This depended on a reservoir in the shinobi's body. Tenten's storage had been used up. Hissing furiously, she went to the pool and refilled.

When she was finally ready, she did the justu over and over again. Just after spraying the mist, she would grab it wither her chakra and replace herself with it; this was no different than Sakura's way of disappearing in a shower of cherry petals. The only thing special was the justu that she needed in order to produce mist where there was no water.

Once the water inside her was gone, she went to the pool and refilled once again. But her anger was still not completely vented; she produced her katana from its scroll and closed her eyes, letting the blade lead. As she did, she thought venomously about what Neji had said. She hissed in irritation as one of her rubber bands snapped, braiding her hair tightly and tying it with the remaining tie.

_What would I know of love? Ha! As if you know anything. If you think that your Nadeshiko is going to show up, you're just dense. What would I know of love, you jerk? I was the one staring into your eyes! I was the one you were about to kiss! I'm the one who's fallen in love with you, you idiot!_

Bringing the katana up in a vicious arc, Tenten flicked her wrist gracefully to behead an imaginary attacker. This was the stroke she had used on Neji. Lashing out at a tree with her foot, the kunoichi leapt to the center of the open area and launched into a series of lightning quick parries and thrusts. Finally she dropped the sword and it disappeared. Tenten cursed as she fell to the ground, fatigued; she had to fight to stay conscious.

Biting her lip to stifle a whimper, she managed to drag herself up and staggered behind the falls. Once in the relative safety of her cave, she fell asleep, completely unaware of the dark shadow that slipped into her hiding place.

Neji had followed Tenten, hoping that she might lead him to her cousin. However, she only ran off to an area surrounded by trees. Her hands formed seals- familiar seals. Neji's eyes widened considerably as he realized with shock that Tenten was trying to do what Nadeshiko had done – disappear using mist. When nothing happened, the irritated shinobi cursed and stomped off to the pool. The Hyuuga waited patiently, hidden in the shadows.

Finally, his teammate came back, frown slightly smaller. Spreading her legs about shoulder width apart for better balance, she did the seals again – this time successfully. Neji noticed with surprise that she did it exactly like Nadeshiko. Interesting. At least, she stopped and went back to the water. Neji waited silently, wondering at the similarities between the two girls.

He blinked as Tenten produced a lone, thin katana, practicing slow, steady unfaltering stokes. He knew that the brown-haired young woman could take down five shinobi twice her size with one such weapon alone. What he'd never noticed, though, was one certain move; where she brought the sword down onto an opponent's neck – but he'd seen it before. Heck; he'd lost to it. Nadeshiko had used it on him.

Looking up at her, he suddenly froze. Tenten had done her long hair up in a braid because one of her hair ties had snapped. From the back, she looked exactly like Nadeshiko…yes, if you made her face just a little whiter, they were completely look-alikes…His mind stopped. This could _not_ be a coincidence. But if Tenten was actually Nadeshiko – he'd said awful things to her… because of "Nadeshiko." He now seriously doubted that this character had ever existed.

Then she collapsed. Neji almost rushed out to help her, but she moaned weakly, pushing herself up off the ground. When she was far enough ahead, he stepped quietly out from his hiding place and followed her. The cavern surprised him; it was beautifully furnished with stone shelves and chairs. Tenten had even put a table in the back. After taking a quick look around, his suspicions were confirmed. As he pocketed the object he'd found, Tenten sneezed. Sighing, he walked to where she lay on the ground.

"Tenten, wake up. You'll catch a cold." Her eyes flew open and she tried to stand. She should never have worked so hard…She froze as Neji kneeled next to her, helping her up into a chair of stone. Then he leaned against the wall, watching her.

"Impressive," he commented, gesturing around. Tenten narrowed her eyes.

"What are you doing in here, Neji?" she spat, struggling to stand; unfortunately, she was too tired, and gave up quickly. "Shouldn't you be out there waiting for your _girlfriend?_"

She had managed to stand, but suddenly her strength gave out and she toppled forward. In a flash, Neji caught her and lowered her back into the chair. He reached into his pocket and pulled out something. She drew in a sharp breath as she saw her white face powder between his long fingers. He smirked, his pearly white eyes flickering to the object in his hand.

"What might you need this for? I didn't know you used makeup, Tenten," he commented dryly. When she growled, he leaned over and tossed it to her. She swiped at it but missed, doubling over on the floor, coughing. Neji frowned.

"Your cold is worse than I thought," he muttered. He stepped forward, but the weaponsmistress turned away from him, crawling closer to the wall. Normally, Neji would not have done what he did next, but seeing as Tenten was on the ground coughing, she would not be able to do anything. So he sighed and picked her up, ignoring her enraged glare. When she had finally stopped struggling, he cradled her closer to his chest and sat down on a chair.

"Tell me the truth, Tenten," he muttered gently. "Why did you pretend to have a cousin?"

She closed her eyes, trying to take in more of his warmth. "It was supposed to be a joke. Hinata-chan and I had worked out that if nobody could recognize me with my hair down, I would pretend to be "Nadeshiko." I just wanted to see how you guys would react. It was…so hard to stay emotionless, but I did my best," she said quietly, giving a short, bitter laugh. "I guess I did it too well." Then her head slumped onto her chest, too tired to say almost any more. But after a moment, she spoke again. "I've always wanted family…but when you all thought I did, I became jealous."

Neji gave her still form a hug, startling her into raising her head. "Tenten…you did a good job being "Nadeshiko," but your personality still shone through. The only difference between you and your imaginary "cousin" was that "she" was an ice cube sometimes, and you aren't. If I'd stopped to think about it, I would've realized that what I saw in "Nadeshiko" – what I was attracted to – was you."

Tenten shivered involuntarily. "Neji, I'm tired. Don't speak in riddles," she said quietly.

"Tenten…I think I love you." (A/N: Baka! You _think?!_ What about "I know?!" Man, Neji; you are bold. Oh, wait. I'm the one who made you say that. smacks herself…)

"What!" Tenten stared in shock at the man holding her. His lavender-tinted eyes looked back at her. He shrugged, standing (still holding her, of course).

"Let's go. You need to get into a warm bed, or else you'll get sicker than you already are," the Hyuuga replied briskly. Though his teammate protested weakly, he carried her back to her apartment. As he tucked her in snugly, he remembered something.

"Tenten… You said that when we met "Nadeshiko," you were jealous. Does that mean that you like me?" he asked teasingly. Tenten closed her eyes, yawning.

"No…I don't like you," she muttered sleepily. "You nearly broke my heart over some imaginary character." Neji would have protested that she'd been the one who'd thought the whole thing up, had he not heard her next words. "I think that I love you, though…"

Bending carefully over her still form, her planted a gently kiss on her forehead. He thought that she had fallen asleep, but as he left her room, she murmured something that made him smile.

"Maybe…fairytales do come true…"

- - -

**So there you have it. I know the ending's kinda cheesy, but… please don't flame me about it! And say thank you to my very supportive friend for typing this up! Until next time!!!!!!!!**

**BlackElement7**


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